Portland Timbers 'won't back down' against San Jose

Portland coach Caleb Porter vowed Tuesday the Timbers "won't back down" in Round 2 of a home-and-home series against the Earthquakes this weekend at Buck Shaw Stadium.

Portland expects another rough test after its 1-0 victory last weekend in which San Jose's Alan Gordon was sent off after receiving his second yellow card.

"They've got a group of guys who roll up their sleeves and believe and Frank (Yallop) does a great job getting his group ready to play, ready to fight," Porter told reporters Tuesday. "We have no problem with it because we'll fight, too. We're not going to back down."

Gordon, who must sit out the next game after his red card, also received a three-game suspension Tuesday for using an anti-gay slur while in an argument with the Timbers' Will Johnson in the 60th minute.

"I thought we matched their intensity and fight and we didn't get caught up in it," Porter said. "Sometimes you get rattled in that type of game, and I don't think our guys did."

Yallop said Tuesday playing Portland on consecutive weekends might be OK.

"There's a lot of stuff flowing over from the game Sunday," he said of the feisty match in Portland. "There were a lot of things said from their side. For me, I just want to do our talking on the field."

San Jose (2-3-2) has yet to defeat the Timbers in a Major League Soccer game, losing twice and drawing four times. Portland (2-1-3) hasn't lost in four games.

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"You know against San Jose what their style is," said Johnson, the Timbers' captain. "It's very bullish, very alpha, they kind of want to fight and play a lot of long balls and battle and crunch. And you have to respect it because it's been effective.

"We knew that coming in. We knew it was going to get chippy and I'm proud of our guys for matching them toe-to-toe and not giving anything away."